ASUS P5N32-SLI Deluxe Motherboard Review :: ASUS P5ND2-SLI Layout

Starting at the CPU area, the CPU area is clear of obstacles, allowing for after-market cooling solutions to be employed. The capacitors are aligned in a neat row on two sides of the CPU Socket. The MOSFETs are aligned neatly right next to the capacitors. ASUS decided to use a passive cooling system to cool the North and South Bridge chips. A heat pipe leads out from the North Bridge to the Back Panel I/O. Another heat pipe leads out from the South Bridge to a heatsink on the front of the board. The top memory slot may interfere with removal/installation of a long video card as there is some overlap.

CPU area

8-pin power

24-pin power

AI Life

CPU Fan

Chassis and SB Fan header

The 8-pin power connector is on top of the board. This is an excellent position, as the power cable can be sent direct from the PSU to the power connector without worrying about going around or over the CPU heat sink/fan. The 24-pin power connector is next to the Floppy drive connector, also an excellent position. There are 5 total fan connections including the CPU fan, SB fan (if an after-market fan is installed), Chassis fan 1+2, and a power fan.

USB Headers

COM1

Firewire

Game and Front panel

Molex

Power LED

Winbond

Battery

ASUS decided to include two headers for additional USB ports. This brings the maximum the board supports to a total of 8, with 6 provided via onboard and bracket. Two IEEE-1394 headers are also present. The Front panel I/O connections are color coded and clearly labeled, a very nice touch. A four-pin Molex connector is onboard to allow stable operation of the board when SLI is enabled.